﻿Russians are coming, Russians are coming!
Vladislav Tretiak, Victor Ivanov, Igor Vysotski and their comrades are coming. Tretiak is a show-stopping puck-stopper—perhaps the finest goalie on ice—and he will lead a topflight Soviet squad against the New England Whalers Dec. 27 in Hartford.
Two top American players are among the Whalers: Gordie Roberts, an exceptional defenseman; and Larry Pleau, a high-scoring center.
Ivanov and Vysotski are on a team of 12 Soviet heavyweights that will fight a dozen of America’s amateurs at Madison Square Garden Dec. 3. Both men were on the Russian team that came here last year. Ivanov won all three of his bouts in the first round
and then went on to Montreal. Many felt Vysotski should have been given the Olympic assignment because he had twice beaten Cuba’s gold medalist Teofilo Stephenson. But Vysotski has a troublesome problem when fighting several bouts in a short period: he cuts easily.
Among the U.S. fighters will be bronze medalist John Tate and Jimmy Clark. Clark and Vysotski met in a rousing slugfest a year ago. In the first round, Vysotski decked Clark, who came back with flurries of punches and won a TKO in the third and final round. Herman Weiskopf
3,27-—- I Action in December
Pro basketball’s one-man version of the Big Red Machine—6' 8", 230-pound Dave Cowens—and the rest of the Boston Celtics will take on the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 10. The rambling redhead should be all geared up for this game at the Boston Garden, for it will be a rematch of last season’s NBA finalists.
Not that Cowens really needs to
WL1& W— Sports
be prodded; he has always been a nonstop go-getter from the opening tipoff. During his six years with Boston he has averaged 19.1 points and 15.5 rebounds a game.
Cowens has turned in many memorable performances. One of his most spectacular was in the 1974 playoffs against Buffalo. The Celtics trailed by 17 points late in the third quarter, but went on to win thanks to the indefatigable Cowens. In the fourth period he latched on to nine rebounds, blocked three shots and scored 20 points, 14 of them in a hard-to-believe spree lasting only four-and-a-half minutes.
HBO will carry many other NBA games this month, including a Dec. 2 contest in which the Golden State Warriors will be at home against the San Antonio Spurs. Exciting NHL hockey action is also on tap.
There will also be top college basketball from Madison Square Garden on Dec. 29 and 30 when HBO presents the ECAC Holiday Festival.
That’s not all. Hard to Make It in This League II, a movie about the rigors of life in the NFL, will be shown on Dec. 13 and 18. There will also be professional wrestling from Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20, gymnastics from Toronto on Dec. 6 and 11 and highlights from the Skate Canada international competition on Dec. 4 and 25.
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Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics

﻿Premieres
Liza Minnelli in Lucky Lady
The Blue Bird Two children embark on a magical mystery tour in search of the elusive blue bird of happiness. Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda and Cicely Tyson star in this lavish Rus-sian-American production. Also featured are members of the Moscow Circus and Kirov Ballet Company. (G-1:38) December 12,17,20,25,28 Dead Cert An amateur jockey risks life and limb to expose a gambling syndicate attempting to fix the British Grand National. Scott Antony stars in this steeplechase thriller highlighted by the colorful atmosphere of the famed British horse race. Directed by Tony Richardson. (1:32) December 17,18,21,23,29 Funny Lady Barbra Streisand resumes her Oscar-winning portrayal of everybody’s favorite funny girl. Her love for ex-spouse Nicky Arn-stein (Omar Sharif) threatens Fanny Brice’s marriage to Broadway songwriter Billy Rose (James Caan). As The New York Times put it, “as long as Miss Streisand is singing the blues or singing anything else, Funny Lady is superb entertainment.” (PG-2:20) December 19,24,28
The Killer Elite James Caan and Robert Duvall are assassins-for^hire in this tale of intrigue and double cross in the murky intelligence underworld. Sam Peckinpah directed this story of, as The New York Times said, “people who do dirty tricks for the CIA and discover that the tricks as well as the dirt are on them.” (PG-2:03) December 5,9,13,18,21
Lies My Father Told IVIe A confused six-year-old js trapped between his love for a junk-dealing, fanciful grandfather and a schem-
Brock Peters in Lost in the Stars
ing, get-rich-quick father in this sentimental journey through childhood in a Montreal immigrant ghetto. (PG-1:42) December 24,27,30
Lost in the Stars A black backwoods South African minister journeys to the apartheid big city in search of his prodigal son in this operatic racial drama from the American Film Theatre. Brock Peters is the preacher torn between his faith in God and his compassion for man. (1:39) December 3,6,9,15,19
Lucky Lady A kind-hearted killer, a bungling gigolo and a smuggler’s widow form a professional but amorous bootlegging alliance to cash in on Prohibition. Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli deliver tour-de-force performances as the madcap crew of the rum-running Lucky Lady in a film Time described as “luxurious, sassy and a lot of fun.” (PG-1:57) December 26,30
m Features
Films finishing November premiere: B Must Die Darren McGavin is the fall guy in a political-action thriller. (1:52) December 2,7,12
Bite the Bullet Gene Hackman in a race across the Western badlands. (PG-2:11) December 4,7,16
The Exorcist The super box office smash about demonic possession. (R-2:01) December 3,8,11,14
Mitchell Walking Tall star Joe Don Baker is a maverick big city cop. (R-1:36) December 2,6,17,23
Max Von Sydow in Tho Exorcist

﻿Classic Films
The Drum A rebellious prince nearly brings India and England to war by plotting to massacre an unsuspecting British regiment. Raymond Massey and Sabu star in this first-rate Saturday matinee adventure. (1:41) December 29
Forget Me Not A shipboard flirtation sours and leads to a rebound marriage for a naive stenographer. Joan Gardner stars as a potential adultress trapped between the love of a devoted opera star husband and the irresistable charm of her gigolo first love in this musical melodrama. (B/W-1:25) December 14,19,22
The Knack ... and how to get it
Fresh as churned butter, a wide-eyed country girl (Rita Tushingham) comes to London and looks for the YWCA. Instead she lands in a house occupied by three bachelors, one of whom has The Knack—of attracting women—and another who is hilar-
'e bee Young ke all ( Stephi
Foreign m Films
iously desperate to acquire it. Judith Christ called it a “fragile, zany, utterly unconventional comedy.” (B/W-1:24) December 8,12,15 Love is a Funny Thing Claude Le-louch directs what he does best—an adult love affair with romance and glamour. Annie Girardot, an actress in L.A., meets musician Jean-Paul Belmondo. Both are lonely, both are married, and both fall in love. Impulsively the two fly to Las Vegas for a weekend that turns into a week. (PG-Sub-1:50) December 22,26,29
Rita Tushingham in The Knack. . .
The Private Life of Henry VIII
Love and an axe conquer all in this titillating look at the affairs of Britain’s most infamous king. Alexander Korda directed this classic costume drama, which stars Charles Laughton in the Oscar-winning title role. (B/W-1:42) December 1,5,8
On
Location
Henny Youngman
“Take my wife-------------PLEASE! That's the famous opening line of the king of the one-liners, Henny Youngman, who shoots out jokes like a machine gun when he appears On Looation this month. Ay-
Born in Britain, this comedy veteran was raised itijfirook-lyn. Youngman worlySa in a small band, but it soojyoecame clear that his flair ms for the perfect punch line; ne and the band parted comoany, but his fiddle has stayedjwith him.
From Dial-^rJoke to nightclubs to collage campuses, Youngman, atyfhe age of 70, is